Co-creators have not given up – LLW is in full swing
Uncertain conditions also marked this year’s preparations for the LLW – the autumn wave of COVID-19 undoubtedly brings these about.
LLW 2021 has been co-created by 35 coordinators. Only 26 of them are co-financed from the Public tender for co-financing of adult education programmes and activities in 2021 (in Slovenian). Unfortunately, there was not enough money for everyone. However, others, including many experienced coordinators, wanted to maintain their role as LLW facilitators in their environment and, commendably, invested their own resources to this end. Around 1,000 organisers have worked under the leadership of these 31 regional and four thematic coordinators. In the weeks from 6 September to 10 October, they have jointly prepared more than7,500 LLW events.
Learning is life – let it bear power and joy!
This year, the umbrella theme has been enriched by a diverse collection of other joint actions/themes on which this year’s events are based.
- Learning is life – let it bear power and joy!
- Joint reading – for knowledge and fun!
- Self-sufficiency and gastronomy
- Ageing society and intergenerational integration
- Digital transformation of society
- Cultural heritage – let us get to know it, protect it and preserve it!
- Sustainable development – locally and globally!
- Inclusion, challenges of multiculturalism and active citizenship
- Water for all – the global importance of water
The SIAE also coordinated joint actions of three guest networks/projects: Quality Day, Days of guidance for learning and Get to know your skills – see new opportunities!
This year, the thirteenth joint action, Learning Parade – Day of Learning Communities, was held on 15 September in 15 venues across Slovenia. In this case, too, not all endeavours were co-financed, as only 12 Learning Parade coordinators received money from the tender. Nevertheless, the latter has become very established as a celebration of learning in environments where it has already been held, so the coordinators persist. The LP is a condensed event in a public place, so in the current circumstances, its preparations required the most creativity and flexibility. On the one hand, organizers had to meet security measures, and on the other, they still attempted to reach the broadest possible public. Last year’s LP coordinators have reported on successful approaches used to overcome COVID-19; more can be read in the report on LLW 2020 (in Slovenian).
Some of the actions listed above also allow collaboration with other campaigns that have been running in parallel in the autumn, e.g. National Month of Joint Reading (8 September – 10 October) and European Heritage Days and Cultural Heritage Week (25 September – 9 October).
National opening of LLW 2021 live again – this time in Lendava
In organising this year’s LLW national opening, Lendava AEC had the support of the Municipality of Lendava and four other municipalities (Črenšovci, Dobrovnik, Kobilje and Turnišče) and the Pomurje Hungarian Self-Governing Community, the Preporod Society – an association for the development of the Roma minority, the Roma Association of Slovenia and the Institute for Romological Studies, education and culture. Dedicated employees of Lendava AEC prepared a multicultural and multilingual event that connected several nationalities and communities.
At the initiative of the co-organiser, the SIAE, they reached out and, in cooperation with other coordinators in the Pomurje region, selected five exemplary learners, ambassadors of lifelong learning. They presented them with video portraits, and enabled us to meet them face to face. In addition to an interesting cultural programme, we also experienced Lendava through accompanying events. We got to know the beautiful nature, people and culture of the region.
At the LLW national opening in Lendava, the renewed LLW – Festival of Learning exhibition, which we prepared at SIAE based on the findings and materials of 25 years of our learning festival had its premiere. It is currently travelling to other LLW venues around the country.
With LLW, we are part of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU
In the second half of 2021, our country holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU and implements the last third of the 18-month programme of the trio presidency (Germany, Portugal, Slovenia). The activities take place under the slogan ‘Together. Resistant. Europe.’.
With the justification of LLW’s successful 26-year mission in establishing a culture of lifelong learning, we competed for the status of an accompanying event of the Slovenian Presidency and succeeded. The presidency logo thus adorns the posters and the LLW website. Even more important is the feeling that we are part of this important and visible process. ALE and lifelong learning are also being promoted in other ways within the Slovenian Presidency; read more about this in the article Adult education – one of the main topics of the Slovenian Presidency.
For more information on what is happening as part of LLW visit its website. Above all, we invite you to the LLW social networks: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where there are plenty of exciting and eloquent posts!
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (Zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
